Carbon monoxide in Boracay

[looka]

Last October I have been diving in Boracay in a diving center called Milky. The shop is nice, right on the beach and staff is friendly.

Cut a long story short, after all my 3 dives, I left the water with a very painful headache, nausea and I ended up vomiting right after my dive (three times out of three).
My air consumption was very low (as it has always been) and the first thing I thought was carbon dioxide accumulation. From the second dive on, I force myself to breathe deeper and more continuously and move less: the problem did not solve, it got worse. After three dives, I left.

One of the instructors told me that air in Boracay is not always good and that he had been feeling sick at times. Milky did not have a compressor, he got his tanks from somewhere else.

Two weeks later, I went diving again, somewhere else, deep demanding dives and my same breathing pattern did not cause any headache, pain, nausea or vomiting. I was just fine.

I am 90% sure that carbon monoxide (or some other crap) was in those tanks. I have no CO tester, so I cannot prove it.

If any of you happen to be in diving in Boracay (or anywhere else for that matter), please check if the dive shop has a compressor and if they do things properly.

dive safely,
Luca

 

[fred3798]

Would you mind sharing your thinking as to why, being suspicious of CO poisoning, you chose to dive a second and then a third time? I suppose I have the same wonder as to why you would think it a good idea to increase the depth of inhalation of air you suspected to be making you sick? Did you consider calling it a day or demanding a CO test after your first episode headache and vomiting? Perhaps after your second? What then led you to quit after your third dive? You weren't dead yet.

 

[looka]

Would you mind sharing your thinking as to why, being suspicious of CO poisoning, you chose to dive a second and then a third time? I suppose I have the same wonder as to why you would think it a good idea to increase the depth of inhalation of air you suspected to be making you sick? Did you consider calling it a day or demanding a CO test after your first episode headache and vomiting? Perhaps after your second? What then led you to quit after your third dive? You weren't dead yet.

Because I had no idea about CO poisoning before that holiday, I thought I was accumulation CO2 because of improper breathing. I learned about CO poisoning once I got back home.

I quit after the third dive because it was the end of my holiday.

 

[orangehead_101]

you know i got the same feeling after my night dive at El Pinoy Anilao just a couple of weeks ago. I got a terrible headache and i wanted to throw up but i didn't. I lost my appetite so I went to bed immediately after a bath. The next day I am ok. good thing. I think I got too much carbon dioxide.

 

[Peter_C]

That is exactly why I got and use my own CO tester. CO is checked at the same time as I am checking my O2 readings.

 

[looka]

you know i got the same feeling after my night dive at El Pinoy Anilao just a couple of weeks ago. I got a terrible headache and i wanted to throw up but i didn't. I lost my appetite so I went to bed immediately after a bath. The next day I am ok. good thing. I think I got too much carbon dioxide.

If you got to the point of nausea and wanting to vomit, you've either been skip breathing like no tomorrow or there is a chance you were breathing bad air. Carbon monoxide, not dioxide. I agree that's better to check the tank than dive on hope.

 

[orangehead_101]

You're right looka... Its carbon monoxide....that's embarrassing...thanks for the correction.

 

[andibk]

If you go to or contact Matthew Caldwell at Anilao Beach Club he can probable test the air quality there. Matt has a ANDI facility there and has some of the cleanest air you can get. Matts staff were being trained on how to test the air quality of the gas that comes from there compressors when I was there last.

Bruce

 

[DandyDon]

If you go to or contact Matthew Caldwell at Anilao Beach Club he can probable test the air quality there. Matt has a ANDI facility there and has some of the cleanest air you can get. Matts staff were being trained on how to test the air quality of the gas that comes from there compressors when I was there last.

Bruce

Good to have a go-to resource, but if you want 100% protection against more the 3% of bad tanks offered to divers, you have to check every tanks. CO tank testers are fast, easy, and inexpensive for every diver to carry.